Steve Breen: What I’ve learned from drawing the homeless in San Diego

Steve Breen

(Steve Breen)

Steve Breen

For most of the past year, our “Street Art” series has sought to humanize the individuals who make up San Diego’s homeless population. The goal was to look past the numbers and statistics of the crisis and focus on how each of these people has a name, a hometown and a story.

It was never difficult finding homeless individuals to talk to. I just had to leave my drawing table at 600 B and take the elevator to the streets to find folks to interview and sketch. But what I found surprised me. I learned that homeless people, for the most part, really want to open up and share. Maybe it’s because they’re lonely, maybe it’s because they want attention brought to their plight, maybe it’s because an interview with a person from the newspaper is the first time in a while anyone has shown them respect and treated them with dignity. I’m not trying to pat myself on the back here, but it’s true. Most of these people have been ignored, scorned and abused for much of their lives. It’s refreshing for them to have someone look them in the eye and say, “Tell me about yourself.”

I’m far from an expert, but I learned a lot by talking with a few dozen of San Diego’s homeless:

Balboa Park is dangerous at night.

Homeless people call the area near Petco Park and the downtown library “The Bottoms” and it’s also dangerous at night.

The safest place to sleep is around Bankers Hill.

A lot of homeless admitted to suffering from mental illness, but hardly any acted threatening or unstable in my presence.

A lot of homeless don’t like shelters. This was discouraging to learn because the employees and volunteers at these organizations work so hard and they do have success getting some people off the street. But I heard time and again from homeless people that they don’t like “all the rules” at a shelter. (Obviously, these rules, like no drugs and no alcohol, are in place for good reason.)

Homeless people are frequently stealing each other’s stuff. Many tell me they have to sleep with one eye open.

Many of the homeless people I talked to told me they suffered from abuse or neglect as children.

Soft foods like ice cream sandwiches and canned Vienna sausage are popular because many homeless do not have teeth.

Sporty water bottles are often receptacles for booze.

Before the hepatitis outbreak reached critical mass this summer and the city installed Port-A-Potties around town, many complained about the lack of public restrooms around the city. This is something most people don’t really have to think about. You just use the restroom in the grocery store or at the movie theater.

A pet is not seen as a burden or a second mouth to feed but as an indispensable companion.

Homeless people I talked to were not interested in calling loved ones to ask for help even when they are offered a phone.

It was easier to find men willing to give permission to use their name and likeness in the paper than women. I’m not sure why.

Many homeless people are sharp and funny. I often found myself engaged and genuinely interested while talking to them about life, politics, religion, etc. I encountered several where I thought, “I could be friends with this person.”

For me, that’s the most important takeaway from the Street Art series: The homeless are just regular people. Sure, I know that’s a cliche, but I think a lot of us tend to forget this … or maybe we don’t want to believe it. A part of our brain tends to write the homeless off as drains on society and not worth our time … “those people have too many problems,” etc. It’s easy and convenient to quickly walk past them. I do it myself.

But when you take a minute to look in their eyes as they tell you about their childhoods, their former jobs or their medical ailments, you’re reminded that they could be your neighbor, or your uncle or your sister. Despite their inhumane living conditions, you see their humanity.

Experts say you shouldn’t give money or food to the homeless because it perpetuates a cycle of dependency on the streets. This makes sense. But it doesn’t have to be cash or blankets or ice cream sandwiches. The most important thing anyone can give the homeless is respect. You can smile at them. You can offer a simple “hello” or maybe, if you have a little time, you can say, “Tell me about yourself.”

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An introduction to Steve Breen's new project "Street Portraits: Faces of San Diego's homeless".

An introduction to Steve Breen's new project "Street Portraits: Faces of San Diego's homeless".

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An introduction to Steve Breen's new project "Street Portraits: Faces of San Diego's homeless".

An introduction to Steve Breen's new project "Street Portraits: Faces of San Diego's homeless".

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Every week, Steve Breen will walk our streets, approach some of San Diego’s homeless residents and strike up a conversation. They’ll share a bit about themselves, and he will share his sketches of them with you.

Every week, Steve Breen will walk our streets, approach some of San Diego’s homeless residents and strike up a conversation. They’ll share a bit about themselves, and he will share his sketches of them with you.

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The third installment of Steve Breen's homeless portrait project. Tammie D. is 55 and from San Diego. She has been homeless since April.

The third installment of Steve Breen's homeless portrait project. Tammie D. is 55 and from San Diego. She has been homeless since April.

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The fourth installment of Steve Breen's homeless portrait project. Robert B. is 63 and from Chicago. He has been homeless for 7 months.

The fourth installment of Steve Breen's homeless portrait project. Robert B. is 63 and from Chicago. He has been homeless for 7 months.

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The fifth installment of Steve Breen's homeless portrait project. Tim R. is 63 years old and has been homeless off and on for 20 years.

The fifth installment of Steve Breen's homeless portrait project. Tim R. is 63 years old and has been homeless off and on for 20 years.